Legacy
by CrazyAuraGirl23
Summary: While still grieving the death of her beloved husband, Hitomi Kanzaki is summoned back to Gaea by Lord Van Fanel on behalf of the world's highest authorities. Tasked with the tall order of uncovering the conspiracy to assassinate all former members of the Gaean Alliance, Hitomi is forced to turn to an unexpected expert on unusual monsters.
1. Chapter 1: Mourning

___**Disclaimer: Digimon and Escaflowne are owned by Bandai and Sunrise respectively. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort these series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.**_

* * *

_Hephasti, Zaibach Empire, Gaea._

In the pale light of the moons bustled an iron city in the center of a desert. Like a mechanical volcano, the realm was divided into "molten" pits of various works. Factories for advanced machinery ran round the clock as large suits of gray and blue armored plates were cut and completed. Burly men worked long, tiresome hours constructing these plates, which were just the tip of the iceberg.

This city was building parts for the whole world. I-beams for Fanelia, Freid and Asturia, all still in the midst of their now fifteen year long reconstruction. Stained glass forged from the desert itself for Asturia and Ezgardia, both of whom love to look like glistening jewels. Gears and armors for Basram, Cesario and Fanelia, who like their armies primed. Guilded walls and ornate decorations were daily inspected by Freid's monks, whose temples suffered greatly during the sieges in the past. Yes, these men and women worked tiresomely to meet the desires of these six great countries.

But not because they wanted to. These were the reparations of war they were forced to pay after Basram's doomsday device destroyed more than half their armies. The day when the light of war lit up the sky. The day when the wishing machine came to life. The day when the world was certain to come to an end.

And when it didn't, General Adelphos had been there to save the day. With his sensibility, he strived to arrange deals with the many monarchs that now wanted his head on a stake.

Every day during negotiations between the seventeen war generals, three from Zaibach, two from their ally Malachia and twelve from their remaining foes, the people of Zaibach would watch the town wall for signs of security. They knew their days of living a remotely cushy life were soon at an end. They knew that the second Freid was sieged. But all were too afraid and superstitious to state their woes to the belligerent and thoughtless sorcerers. Especially that Strategos. He'd been just as drawn into the emperor's vision as everyone else was, if not more.

And every day, the flag of the great Goliath Gate had remained at half mast. Adelphos was still striving to save them.

It took some time for the people of Zaibach to realize that a great demon was helping them. From the small holes in the negotiation tent, their spies had seen this beast. The beast that had started the fighting in the first place, and the beast that had stopped it just as instantly.

This demon had a name; Lord Van Fanel. Most of Zaibach had seen his draconian wings as he flew through the city to the citadel at the center. The sorcerers had been the ones to confirm that this young man of only sixteen years had cracked the fate alteration engine by sheer force of will to rescue his beloved maiden from the mystic moon. Rumors of his unbelievable power echoed from forge to furnace. And many feared his wrath: what would his generosity cost them in the long run?

After all, they had destroyed his capital city on his coronation day.

It was only later that they'd learned that the woman he'd shared his bed with was the one promoting his unfounded generosity. Or so goes the rumors.

Either way, the terms of surrender were not nearly as bleak as they'd suspected. Zaibach would pay reparations through goods by discounting the purchases of the allies. And the allies took advantage of these discounts, some as low as 80 percent off appraisal value, which is what Freid and Fanelia received.

So the forges burnt round the clock and the people worked tiresome hours. But they thanked their lucky stars and the maiden of the mystic moon for their ability to work. Without work there was no hope for these people, who had to rely solely on imports for water and food. It was often said that the mysterious Hitomi Kanzaki had kept their ports open by opening hers, but any drunk man stupid enough to say that usually got slapped by some sober wife in frustration.

Many women had found her to be iconic, some even becoming priestesses for their newly found cult. They claimed that she could be none other than Irisa, the draconian goddess of the mystic moon. A new art style was formed thanks to this archaic revival, and the stained glass window industry profited heavily from it. Women belonging to this cult often roamed the streets with glass feather pendants, denoting their loyalty to the famed woman-goddess.

Their husbands, however, refuted her. After all, she came from THE land of demons.

But this was life in Zaibach, in the capital city of Hephasti. The air itself had become blackened by the soot of the fires burnt round the clock. Asthma, which was called smog cough here, was merely a matter of severity, not a question of presence. Yet these people worked, hoping to build a better future.

They were so overworked, it was no surprise that they'd missed the coming storm forming in the center of their citadel. In the place where the sorcerers worked sat the remnants of the fate alteration engine, still chugging away in its efforts to answer wishes. Most of its power had been depleted when the dragon king, Van Fanel, had not only cracked it, but flown through it, diminishing the severity of its effect on the world. Rumor had it that the king, himself, had some remnant power from it flowing through his veins. Some merchants had claimed that his temper resulted in the fiercest of tempests, which often ravaged the kingdom of Fanelia. But again, it's hard to put much stock into rumors.

The sorcerers worked round the clock here, tending to the other half of the treaty Adelphos returned home with. They were to tend to the machine, to protect it from evil influences, and to find a way to safely shut it down. It was a tiresome task, but none could escape it unless they'd chosen to die. And so, they rarely left their cave of a citadel, working in whatever light they could invent. Most of their people had even forgotten they'd existed.

Except for a group of shadows that ran along the metallic rooftops of the iron fortress of Hephasti.

The small cluster of cloaked men slinked into position beside the kitchen wing, anxious as ever to complete their mission. They sat silently, their muscles tense with anticipation as their most dangerous assignment flipped into motion the minute the steel door swung open. The wider shadow of a wide woman danced in the light of the hearth behind her as she waddled with a tune towards the compost heap she'd been working at for months. As she strutted across the yard, the cloaked warriors fell into position, each falling beside the door on all sides and sneaking directly into the basilica without hesitation.

The cook hadn't heard a sound as the men and women dashed inside.

Taking advantage of their stealthy entry, the group fanned out and scurried down the many hallways, all of which converged to a single point. They didn't bother to read the many signs that decorated the gray walls, and sought to avoid the lit torches and glow-stone sconces that provided light down the many corridors of the capital building. There was no time to admire such new technology.

Having arrived on separate floors, no one suspected a thing of the two cloaked figures that entered the varying departments of the sorcery wing. One white haired, glasses wearing sorcerer actually had the nerve to start bossing them around. "Get me those flasks, and be quick about it!" he demanded of the short, feminine shaped cloak. When she failed to move right away, he growled and cursed her under his breath, "The help they find these days… why in the days of Emporer Dornki-" he wasn't able to finish his statement as the woman's blade tore through his esophagus faster than he'd registered her presence behind him.

And that was only the beginning of the secret assault. There were no screams in the dead of the night, not even the pale moons' light could find a corpse wrangled in the windows. These warriors were quick and cunning, and they did not hesitate.

By the first light of dawn, the facility had fallen. The change of the guard took their posts without issue, having never seen the sorcerers themselves: these men never left their quarters and feared the sunlight like a Lyllt. Naturally they had no idea of the occurrences of the night before.

And so, the Great Gaean Alliance had no idea that their precious fortune machine was now in enemy hands.

* * *

_Nearly a month later; Okinawa, Japan, Earth. _

The waves churned slowly against the shoreline with sea foam gathering upon the sands most unpleasantly. The odor that the bubbles exuded graded on her nose, leaving her puffy, red-eyed face contorted as deep sobs drew in the foul air. But she was too drained to get up. No, she couldn't even dream of leaving this place, which was as aromatically foul as it was aesthetically beautiful. Perhaps this would be a suitable punishment for what had befallen her not two whole weeks ago.

_Two weeks?_ She felt herself sob inwardly, _it's been two whole weeks already?_

As the tears ran anew down her face like a storm, she recalled that it was, in fact, two whole weeks since she'd last seen her husband alive. Today was Wednesday, and he'd died on a Wednesday. That Saturday the coroner released him to her, and the following Monday he'd been flown out here, to Okinawa, to be laid to rest beside his departed mother. The funeral had been a glum event, as was expected, but it had also been a whirlwind for her as relatives began lashing out at who they believed was the real culprit of his death: her.

_Takehiro's sister, Kimiko, hadn't wasted any time in dealing out the cruelest of statements. "Did my brother even know of the trouble you were in?" She dared her at the brunch shortly after the actual ceremony. Her eyes were glazed over just a bit, and clearly red from crying, as she loved her brother dearly. Hitomi sighed, fighting back her tears once more and nodded._

_"I told him long before we'd gotten married." She informed her sister-in-law with a sigh, "Which is why I wanted so badly to move down here, open the store here, where we weren't in the vicinity of those… those monsters!" At that point she'd cracked. She could still see the grin on the man's face, how his rolly-poly cheeks had gathered round those thin, crooked lips. It would haunt her nightmares for years to come, that smirk._

_"And yet you didn't stop him when he decided to move into the lion's den?" Kimiko hollered belligerently at the now pitiful woman. Her dark brown hair was starting to fall out of its careful placement in a bun. Her chocolate brown eyes grew wide as her husband shot back to pull her away from the recently made widow._

_"Honey." He'd whispered as their son stood nearby with Takato, his tanned face frozen in shock at his own mother. Takato, Hitomi's son, had turned his head away, unable to watch his own mother shed tears for his beloved father. And as hurt as Hitomi had been about the loss of her mate, she knew her son was suffering silently in ways that were ten times her own misery._

_He'd felt the most guilty because he had not been there. He was at school, as he should have been, learning to become something wonderful as his father had dreamed for him._

"Mother." His soft voice called to her most hesitantly, "Grandpa wants to know if you were joining us tonight for dinner." She was afraid to turn herself around and face him. Afraid to see that his eyes were just as red as hers from crying, that his normally uncontrollable locks were disheveled from mourning and not play.

When she did not respond, she heard the sand shift beneath her son, indicating that he was moving. _Probably turning around to give me some space,_ she thought to herself with disdain, _what kind of mother am I if I can't comfort my own son?_

"I met your father here you know." She told him gently, her voice surprisingly quiet despite the moans from before, "I'd just moved into the area for college, after… after the incident over in Kamakura. I-" she cut herself off, feeling the resounding tremors that usually accompanied another torrent of tears welling up in her chest.

The crunching and shifting of the sand behind her came closer. "I know." Her son admitted with his gentle, hushed voice . It was now more like his father's than it had ever been, "Dad had told me about it. He said you were the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and he knew…" through the corner of her eye, she saw the familiar pain in her son's red eyes that showed how much like his father he truly was. His broad shoulders were slumped, his dishwater blonde hair falling into his face and shadowing it in the sunset. "He told me that he knew you were the one."

Just hearing that from her precious, only son made everything seem so much better. With a slight curve to her lips, Hitomi felt her cold sobs warm just a little. _That man,_ she recalled as a fresh tear cleared the distance of her toned cheek, _he was always so honest and forward. And I am glad to see Takato acting just like him in that regard._

**"You can't seem to see how much like you that boy actually is."**

That flicker. That image of her husband echoed inside her mind on the day he told her that. They'd been in the kitchen, alone for about a week by then, as Takato had left them for a while. And, as usual, Hitomi had been fretting over him nonstop like she'd just birthed him and was now facing the fact that someone else had to carry him around.

"I was happy with him too." Hitomi chose to inform her son, "He'd completed my life in a way I never thought possible. Now all I feel is a huge-"

"-Void?" Takato intercepted her statement, now turning his redder eyes her direction. Her son, already a handsome young man, was well on his way to becoming a heartbreaker with those big eyes of his. They were framed with his father's long lashes and made him look all the more like the man who sired him. His skin had become even tanner than it was naturally thanks to the sunlight of Okinawa, giving him that tall, dark and handsome look that was all the rage eternally.

**"And here I thought those looks would just fade away and he wouldn't stand out so much."** Takehiro had once told her, **"But no, he has to give us reasons to remove our names from the phonebook… Little brat."**

Hitomi had laughed hard at the statement, glad to see that Takehiro could laugh for just about any reason.

"Yeah." Hitomi told her son, proud of the straight angles in his jaw and nose, and how he was already starting to really show his transition from boy to man. Though he was rather young, and that was making her a bit uncomfortable. She wasn't quite ready to deal with the trials and tribulations of raising a child through the more mature stages of childhood. She fought not to groan at the thought. _At least I could have handled it with Takehiro._

Bonding through the silence, the two of them continued to wrinkle their noses at the shoreline while watching the peaceful motions of the water.

But just as the sun was about to drift over the edges of the vast ocean, Hitomi caught a glimpse of something truly horrific in the corner of her eye. With a silver and blue gleam, she turned to find a soft feather, which was about three quarters of her arm-length, land on the sand in between her and her son. Takato turned to watch the peculiar object fall, and, filled with wonder, he reached out to touch the soft down of the feather. As his fingers came in contact with the plume, it suddenly vanished into a green light. The boy had not been expecting this, and jumped in his seat while pulling his hand away. He stared at the space with wide eyes, startled.

"What was that?" Takato asked incredulously.

Hitomi could only sigh, dreading the meaning behind that seemingly innocent plume, "It's nothing for you to worry about." Her voice must have sounded very flat, because Takato spun his face, jaw still hung open, and stared at his mother, his startled face twisting to frustration as he processed Hitomi's answer.

"Fine." He decided after a short while, standing up in anger, "Don't tell me then. Just don't expect me to be so cooperative when I'm keeping secrets... Not like last time." His father's tone echoed in his warning, surprising Hitomi at how much he was like his sire. But she only allowed herself to be distracted by the boy for a moment, before her eyes returned to the sand where the feather had once been.

As the crunches of her son's steps faded away in the background, she felt anxiety build up in her chest. _He's calling me,_ she thought to herself in awe,_ But I'm forbidden from returning… why would he call me back?_

Suddenly uncomfortable on the once serene beach, Hitomi hoisted herself from the ground with a large sigh and trudged down the forested path towards her father-in-law's house. Hopefully her son would have forgiven her in the time it took for them both to journey towards the dinner table, _I'm not sure if I could handle him being angry at me right now… I'm just so spent!_

* * *

_Arsas, Fanelia, Gaea._

Deep inside the observatory's main lab sat a man deep in meditation. His eyes were closed shut and his low brow was furrowed in concentration as he took deep breaths in and out. His gold trimmed, red button-down shirt showed his breathing easily, as it was snug to his muscular body. Paling his usually tanned skin to ghastly white, the man clenched his teeth and focused harder, trying to reach someone with his mind, but finding the access-way clogged by some staggering emotion.

As he continued to concentrate, a small, lean, brown and black striped cat-woman tiptoed his way. She had been very quiet, but that would not have mattered to someone as open to the universe as this man was at the current moment, so he opened his eyes to greet her.

"Hey, Merle." The man's gentle voice sighed as he wiped stray sweat streams from his forehead. His blood-red irises contracted, adjusting to the light of the room as they had been closed for nearly an hour, "Is something the matter?"

The small cat-woman, whose blue eyes glowed against her tawny colored fur-face, merely smirked an impish like grin before lowering herself to the ground to be seated much like her companion. "Not really," she admitted with a toothy smile, "I just wanted to make sure you were all right. It's been at least a half a day since you came down here to try and reach her."

He nodded, straightening his black, wild locks towards behind his ears, "Well, I'm fine."

Merle paused a moment before asking, "Have you made contact with her yet Lord Van?"

Van shook his head wearily, "She's blocking me for some reason. I sense a lot of hurt, so… maybe she's mad at me or something."

"Mad at you after all this time?" Merle questioned as she sat forward eagerly, "I highly doubt that. She forgives too easily, to be honest." Van nodded, his wild hair falling back into his face, covering his ruby eyes once again.

"You are probably right." He admitted with a sigh, "But I still have to get through to her. Without her power, I won't be able to find the traitors among us…" his voice trailed off as he considered the many familiar faces of his court, any of whom was likely conspiring against him.

Sensing the darkening of his mood, Merle leaned forward and rested a gentle hand upon his. With warmth in her aqua colored eyes, she assured her king, "You'll reach her. Of that, I am certain. Just don't give up."

Seeing the confidence of her eyes in between her long, strawberry blond locks, Lord Van nodded and sat straight up again to resume his attempts to commune with the woman he sought on the Mystic Moon.

_I'm running out of time._ He attempted to call to her.

* * *

**Author's Note: I've honestly wanted to write this for years and have played with so many different ways to present this idea. I'm glad to have finally arrived to a plot that I feel is decent enough. I was exposed to both series at about the same time (The Vision of Escaflowne and Digimon Tamers specifically) and watching them simultaneously made it real easy to see how compatible they are for a crossover. If you want a fun spoiler as well as justification, just google image Van Fanel and Takato Matsuda... you'll laugh yourself silly if you never noticed this before.**

**Please read and review! I love feedback!**


	2. Chapter 2: Visions

___**Disclaimer: Digimon and Escaflowne are owned by Bandai and Sunrise respectively. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort these series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.**_

* * *

Fortunately, for all the ways he was just like his father, Takato was anything if not forgiving. By the time she'd moseyed back into the house, almost kicking that damned, sticky sliding-door in, he'd completely forgotten about the feather on the beach. And that was a good thing. What with having just lost his father, the boy did not need to concern himself with the many pains beyond the moon that Hitomi was afraid she could not escape.

Knowing Van, he wouldn't let her.

"How's the salad?" her old, practically fossilized father-in-law asked from his perch at the head of the table. Hitomi nodded while Takato and his cousin, Kai, smirked impishly at the old man.

"Fresh!" Kai commented, his charcoal colored eyes wide in amusement.

"Tastes just like salad." Takato cheered, exposing his young age with a toothy grin. And suddenly, she felt content. Even with the failure she'd just faced in protecting her husband from her past, she'd spared her son the weight of life she'd truly feared for him all those years ago. Back when the world felt a lot bigger and the enemies a lot grimmer.

Grandpa Kyou furrowed a brow at the young boy, "Sometimes I wonder about you." Hitomi couldn't help but chuckle at the comedic trio before her. She needed the laugh, even as she saw another glowing object descend to the table in the corner of her eye.

It was another shimmering feather. Another call card from Lord Van Fanel.

And it did not go unnoticed. "What the hell is that thing mom?" Takato demanded as he pointed her direction.

"That THING," his grandfather corrected with disdain in his voice, "happens to be your late grandmother's favorite vase. You'd best watch your mouth about it." Takato's eyes leapt over to the delft vase his grandmother had acquired half a century ago on her first trip to another country. It was lovely, etched with slight markings, and painted to look like the countryside of the Neitherlands where she'd bought it.

Takato turned towards his grandfather as Hitomi watched the feather touch down next to the vase and disappear in another shimmer of light. "Not that. I mean the feather that looks like it's gone through a nuclear explosion or something." He glared at the old man, who merely glared back with a scowl featuring a much fuzzier brow.

"I've no idea what you are talking about."

Kai chimed in, "Me either. All I see is grandma's old vase."

Hitomi watched, intrigued as her son's mahogany eyes skipped from family member to family member, finally stopping at her jade eyes. "Are you going to defend me or what mom?" He asked with a flat voice, which skidded a bit mid sentences as his voice cracked. Again, she winced at the thought that he was growing up. "I know you saw that radioactive feather."

She couldn't help but chuckle at the statement, "I sure did, along with the radioactive chicken it came from." Takato scowled at her, his brow furrowing in confusion as he contemplated what those beautiful ruby eyes were seeing. But she knew better than to explain this power to him at the table with the rest of the family. They would not understand any of this at all, and confronting them with the idea of the paranormal was anything but a good idea. Everybody looked at Takato as a freak enough without adding her baggage to the mix.

He looked nothing like a Matsuda, and that irked all of them. And as he'd aged, he began to look less and less Japanese, which simply became something more to speculate about. Many members of the family had slyly expressed to one another their theories as to the origin of the boy, something he'd heard and wept about at a younger age. It was painful being told by your own family that you don't fit in, and both she and her husband had struggled greatly in helping Takato overcome that. And without Takehiro here to defend her little boy to them, family reunions were about to get awkward to the enth degree. She even was beginning to contemplate not visiting them anymore. That is, until she realized just how close Takato and Kai were.

Not that Takato was in dire need of more friends, but having a close bond with a cousin was something Hitomi had to forego years ago when she'd left her family to go into hiding. She wasn't about to force the same pains on her son.

"Har har." Takato blanched at her, "I'm serious. There was one at the beach too. Obviously Count Bawk-ula is after you or something." _Oh god,_ Hitomi chortled inwardly, _I'm going to have to remember that one._

Rolling her eyes, she retorted, "You're friends back in Shinjuku clearly have had some effects on your sarcasm." He glowered at her and then stood up.

"Whatever." He called as he meandered out of the dining room, "I know it's important, but if you don't want to tell me-" Hitomi scoffed a bit under her breath, _you're damn right I don't. You have no problem finding trouble of your own without adding mine to the mix._

Watching him walk away, Hitomi sighed to herself. With both Kyou and Kai staring at her anxiously for an explanation, she merely shook her head and stood. Collecting both hers and her son's dishes, Hitomi trudged towards the kitchen silently. Van was someone she definitely didn't want to discuss in front of her in-laws. But she could sense how desperate Takato was for answers. He wasn't easily fooled and could read her like a large-print open book.

As she began to wash up the dishes, Kai came in with the remaining plates, eagerly asking to help. "No, thank you Kai." Hitomi told him earnestly, "I think I just need to clean up for a while. Clean your house, clean your head, kind of thing."

The young boy of fourteen nodded with a knowing smirk, "I understand…" he paused a moment before adding, "Mom gets like that a lot." He knew that Hitomi and Kimiko were still fighting despite the fact that the funeral had long passed. Therefore, he always paused before mentioning his own mother, which was a kind gesture, but highly unnecessary. _Especially since I agree with her,_ Hitomi admitted silently to herself, _I got him killed._

"No you didn't." Takato called from the doorway, jarring Hitomi from her thoughts and surprising his cousin.

Kai shrugged a bit and then rolled his eyes, "I never said that I get like that. I said my mom did." As Takato stepped forward, he glanced over towards Kai with a light of amusement in his eyes. _You and I both know better than that,_ he told his mother through their special bond, _If I hadn't have…_

"That's enough Takato." Hitomi said outloud, not liking where his train of thought was going.

After an odd, imposing silence, Kai's dark eyes dodged back and forth from mother to son in confusion. "You guys are doing that thing again, aren't you?" He asked, pulling his long, chocolate colored hair out of his eyes, seeing Takato nod in the corner of his eye. "Well…" the boy paused as he began to back out of the room, "Could you not do that? I mean, I know the rest of the family doesn't buy into that stuff, but it freaks me out when you have whole conversations in your minds like that."

Takato chuckled, "Sorry. It's not very often that we can communicate that way. Only when our feelings match up."

Kai nodded, understanding that it was some sort of coping mechanism, but it still scared him. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to head on home before you start calling on ancient spirits or something freaky like that."

"Like Count Bawk-ula?" Takato inserted with a wry grin, causing his mother to burst out laughing.

"I am so calling him that the next time I see him!" She decreed before she realized what she was saying. Freezing to stare wide-eyed out the window, Hitomi saw that behind her long, dishwater blond hair was a young man who was glaring at her with suspicious red eyes.

Kai must have sensed the tension in the room, as he backed out sheepishly and meandered towards the living room to say goodbye to his grandfather.

"So it's a 'him' then." Takato commented, growling a bit as he leaned against the wall, "Must be the same guy leaving me parting gifts all the time."

Hitomi dropped everything in her soapy hands and spun around as though caught in a whirlwind. "What do you mean?"

Turning his red gaze her direction, Takato peered at her from behind his messy dishwater locks, "I see those feathers practically all the time. And I hear voices too… asking me to come to him. Wishing for me to be _here_. To exist _here_." The boy paused as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Though I'm not sure where _here _actually is, this strange man keeps asking me to come to him."

Hitomi felt a lump in her throat as she considered the possibilities of people trying to communicate with her son. "Have you seen the person sending you those feathers?" Takato nodded, uncrossing his arms as his red eyes grew wide in alarm. "What does he look like?"

Takato paused, which could only mean he was about to say one thing, "Me."

It shocked him as he watched his mother fall to her knees and sob. He ran to her instantly, sending her apologetic appeals as quickly as he could think of them, "I'm sorry mom! I've avoided talking to him this whole time, but…" She quickly pulled her son into her arms and sobbed into his shoulder, "Mom… why does he look like me?"

Pulling her son in tighter, she began to collect the words she would need, the ones that she dreaded using for these past fifteen years. Ones she hadn't used since she'd first married Takehiro ten years ago.

"Because he's your father."

* * *

**Author's note: Well that cat's out of the bag :) Please review and let me know what you think! I rather enjoy reading reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3: Memories

___**Disclaimer: Digimon and Escaflowne are owned by Bandai and Sunrise respectively. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort these series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.**_

* * *

She watched through the living room window as Takato stood outside, staring at the dark woods that surrounded his grandfather's home. With his body approaching the age that Hitomi had met his father at, the boy resembled the young king now more than ever. His stance was just as stoic, his broad shoulders just as strained with duty and knowledge. His breathing just as tense.

He'd been quiet through the whole discussion, listening to every word intently as Hitomi explained exactly what he hadn't known about himself. And, as she'd anticipated, his true origins left him filled with all sorts of new identity dilemmas.

"_I'm not human?" he'd asked her, his draconian red eyes wide in shock. They seemed to well with tears as she shook her head._

"_The way your uncle had explained it to me," she'd told him, her voice quivering with agony as she conveyed the truth, "No. One drop of draconian blood taints the whole body. Though your parentage dictates you are a hybrid, if your body shows the signs of being a draconian, you are all draconian."_

"_What does it mean? Being a draconian?"_

He didn't like that answer, though he admitted that it explained a lot of things about himself. His fascination with dragons, for instance, and his fearlessness when it came to flying. His uncle had taken him out in a small hobby plane of his just this past week, and the boy was about ready to jump out the window, he'd loved the freedom so much.

As a tear fell down her cheek, she watched her son shift on his feet, sighing with uncertainty as he deliberated all that he'd learned. She even saw his eyes find the new moon in the sky, searching for his supposed home-world. The world he'd been conceived upon. The world he'd never known. _And hopefully never will,_ Hitomi thought to herself.

_What if I want to know this world?_ Takato thought back, intruding upon her thoughts like he'd owned them, _What if I want to know this man who is my father? This draconian king?_

Sensing his brooding, Hitomi stepped outside from the living room and walked the classical style Tatami house with little to no confidence in her steps.

"You don't want to know his world." She told him matter-of-factly, "All it knows is the sting of death and the karma of war. Your father may have once been a gentle soul, but it corrupted him too. And I don't want to see you suffer that same fate."

Takato suddenly hissed at her, "Then why did you love him? Huh? Why was I born if he was such a monster?" His fit left him launching questions out faster than she could answer them, "And why did you leave? Because he was so damn corrupted? What makes me so fucking pure?!" Overwhelmed with his questions, Hitomi couldn't help her reflex. She barked at her son, silencing him.

"I don't care how tender the topic is!" Her voice cut through his like a heated knife through butter, "I am your mother and you will respect me!"

That left the two of them silent as they both caught their breaths from the shouting.

After a time, Hitomi was ready to answer his questions. "I didn't leave him because he was so corrupted. I was forced to go." Takato shrank back, sitting himself down on the stoop that served as a porch for the old house. His ruby eyes practically glowed with anger and interest, "Shortly after I found out you were on the way, the countries of Gaea made a treaty called the Sorte Pact. They named it after-"

"-After the Sorte Wars, I got that." Takato interrupted, his irritance glowing brightly in his eyes.

Taken aback for the moment, Hitomi shrank back into her seat, turning her gaze on her father-in-law's vibrant garden before her. This news clearly had been too much for him, as Takato was acting abnormally. He usually was well adjusted and kind-hearted. Not the type to shout or swear.

But the information was out and he needed the whole story. "The treaty dictated new borders, as some countries had lost out on a lot of land since the formation of Zaibach, Fanelia being one of them. It also stipulated one condition: Fanelia would receive all the aid it required, provided the seeress of the Mystic Moon be returned to her home."

She paused, allowing Takato to process that, watching as his eyes dilated throughout the story to show him vision after vision of the past. It surprised her how far along his abilities had gotten since he'd unlocked them at age eleven. _One vision of him floating above the city and here we are now,_ she recalled, _Though I shouldn't be too surprised._ She chuckled to herself, _Van mastered dowsing within two weeks of learning the technique, it stands to reason that his son would be as adept at it as he is. Then there's my raw power…_

"You see what I mean?" she questioned, reaching out to touch her son and join in his vision.

**They were standing inside the domed hall of the allied powers, standing behind the king of Fanelia as he discussed war reparations with the remaining three generals of Zaibach. Basram had been the one to require Hitomi's immediate departure.**

"**So long as she's in Fanelia," the old, graying man with a trimmed goatee framing his scowl decreed, "You have power significant enough to start a war with us and win."**

**Van sat back in his seat, his brow furrowed in contemplation. Hitomi meandered around the table in the vision, angling herself just right to see both her son and former lover at the same time. And she stood there flabbergasted.**

**From every angle, and in every way, all Takato's features, save for his smile, screamed Van.**

"**With all due respect," Van sighed, his irritancy very plain in his ruby eyes, "I've had my fill of war for quite a while."**

"_**He's only my age."**_** Takato noted from his placement in the vision. His mother nodded.**

"_**He was a bit older by this point. The war had lasted only about five months, but our struggles had us locked in battles throughout the year prior."**_** She admitted, her eyes falling fondly on the young man before he faded away, the whole scene melting into a new setting. **

**In the place of grand columns, a small garden with shrubs and overgrown trees shown appeared. The young couple walking arm in arm stood alone in the moons' light, smiles wide on their enamored faces. But the man with the shaggy black hair had red eyes filled with pain. And these eyes did not go unnoticed by his short, dishwater blond haired companion. Her jade colored eyes watched his very keenly.**

"**What's wrong Van?" Hitomi heard her younger self call to him.**

"**N-nothing." She could sense the lie, but let it go as she glanced away. Van, however, sensed her own hesitancy, "I should ask what's the matter with you. You've practically been avoiding me this whole night." Hitomi watched her own self sigh, recalling her fears from so long ago.**

"_**Was there something wrong?"**_** The young form of Takato asked from beside her astral form. She nodded, knowing full well what night this was. This night practically destroyed her years ago.**

"_**I was going to tell him."**_** She admitted, hoping her son would sense her meaning. He turned to her, perplexity in his red eyes, **_**"I was going to tell him we were expecting, but I chickened out and asked him to share his news first."**_

"**How did the meeting go?" Young Hitomi inquired as she sat down on a small stone bench that sat along the wall of red roses behind her, "You've been tense ever sense you got out of there."**

**They all watched as Van sighed, his broad shoulders slumping with the weight of what he was going to say next, "They've offered me full reparations."**

**Young Hitomi sprang up and embraced the young man, not caring that her skirt was wrinkling a bit in the back. He held her closely, clearly savoring the moment the way his eyes were closed and his body was swaying her. Young Hitomi stood back, her jade eyes glowing in excitement. But that light soon faded as she saw that he'd only shared half of the news.**

"**What else did they say?"**

**Again he sighed, his eyes turning towards the burbling stream beside them. He couldn't even look her in the eye as he shared this, "Their terms for full reparations are that I send you back home. You can… you can never come back to Gaea."**

**Young Hitomi spun around, her eyes now a forest green as they darkened with tears. But even as they dared to fall, her pupils retracted and her eyes began to glow just a little, bringing them to that jade color once more. **

**A vision.**

"_**What did you see?"**_** Takato asked, noticing this change. He spoke flatly, but it was clear that the scene before him was touching his heart. The boy had always been a bit sensitive. Hitomi cherished this about him, despite the fact that many of his male peers teased him for it.**

**She turned her jade eyes on her son, a wide, proud smile etched into her thirty-one-year-old face. **_**"I saw all the amazing things that made the man I see before me now."**_

**His mahogany eyes widened as a realization dawned on him, **_**"You knew! You knew about the D-Reaper!"**_

"**I think you should adhere to their terms." Young Hitomi decided, clearly crushing the man behind her, "You are a king, and your people cannot afford that we be selfish." She stood up and faced away, trying to hide her tears.**

**There was a long pause before Young Van replied, "You're sure about this?" His voice was not flat, pained, or betrayed even. It was level and calculating, with a hint of gentleness. **_**But that was the tone he kept with me until the very end, **_**Hitomi recalled fondly.**

**Young Hitomi spun around, her face tranquil and her smile as earnest as she could fake it. "Of course."**

Takato blinked slightly, as did his mother beside him. Visions always left their eyes dry.

His thoughts were racing with the information his mother had provided for him. His whole life, he'd suspected that Matsuda Takehiro was not his biological father, but he'd never supposed that the truth would be so bizarre. _But we're talking about my mother here,_ he reminded himself, _So if he wasn't an alien angel, he'd likely be a fairy or merman or something ridiculous like that._

He heard his mother sigh, so he turned his attention back to her. "What are you going to do now, then?"

She waited a moment before turning and smiling his way with her gentle smile that had melted the hearts of many an extra-terrestrial, "I have to answer his call. If he's reaching out to you, I need to lay down the law, no matter how much it hurts him." She paused once more as she watched yet another pearly feather fall from the sky between them, "I won't have your pure heart corrupted by his world."

* * *

**Author's note: I hope you all enjoyed my rendition of why Hitomi went back home. It seemed appropriate to assume that there was more to it than she just wanted to go back. Yeah, she had her family and friends to worry about, and Gaea wasn't her home, but her departure just didn't seem to fit the end of the story in either versions to me (especially the movie). I mean, what was the point of the story if they didn't get their happily ever after, right? Why not make it that her whole purpose on Gaea was to make the individual that would later save her world?**

**Please read and review! **


	4. Chapter 4: Moonlit Sand

**Author's Note: At last I am back! Sorry about the delay, I tend to spend more time on Promise of the Past than this. That and my computer crashed and I lost this story entirely. If you are in to Star Wars time travel fanfictions, you could check Promise out. I update that one weekly. Anyways! On to the story!**

**_Disclaimer: Digimon and Escaflowne are owned by Bandai and Sunrise respectively. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort these series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun._**

* * *

It was about three in the morning, local time, when Hitomi finally felt ready to contact Van. Takato had gone to sleep at around one, having argued with her his right to speak with his father. Over and over again, he'd pointed out that he didn't have a father anymore, that he deserved the chance to learn where he came from, and that his own father had been depraved of his upbringing.

And Hitomi could not argue against any of his reasons.

But still, she remembered what the temptations of that world really were like. She remembered the power she once held on that bizarre planet. And Takato had that power, even on this world. He'd accomplished so much with his grand, big dreams and enthusiasm. With his golden heart. With his friends and family.

He wouldn't have that security on Gaea. Nothing about that world was as cut and dry as it had been for him in his own conflict nearly three years ago. None of it.

The people were good natured and shifty all at once. They all had their own intentions, none of which could really be held against them. Even Van, who was pure in his desire to protect those he loved, was just as dangerous as the enemies, being willing to make sacrifices that were borderline insane.

They were all human... and Takato didn't know how to deal with humanity at its worst.

Peeking inside of his room one last time, she found him sprawled across the futon, his hair falling in his face as he slept soundly. He didn't snore anymore, not that he was loud as a child. Sometimes, she was worried he'd died because he was so quiet as he dreamed. Often she'd check the rise and fall of his chest.

He dreamed every night, and sometimes he spoke about what he saw as he did. Dreams of distant worlds, talking dragons, problems at school, you name it. He saw the whole universe in his mind, it seemed, or, at least, he saw his universe. Takato was born with a creative mind, seeing potential in any situation. Even when the bakery wasn't doing as well as it could have, he would smile at her and her husband, and everything would be good. "Have faith!" he would say, like the angel he didn't realize he was.

_My angel,_she muttered to herself as she walked over towards her son. He'd tossed his T-shirt aside and was sleeping bare chested, his blankets kicked to the floor as he grumbled on about someone named Titania in his sleep. "Stop lying to him." He ordered the mysterious person, "He doesn't deserve that."

Hitomi chuckled, "No one deserves being lied to Takato." Then she sat down beside him, running her fingers down the center of his back, feeling the muscles spasm at her touch. She watched as the flesh over his shoulder blades rippled and bounced, indicating that the sensation was pleasing. Her eyes then glanced up towards the door, checking to be sure her father-in-law wasn't there.

And, with a knowing smirk, she pressed her fore and middle finger down on both sides of her son's spine, forcing the muscles to jerk and toss until, as if by magic, feathers burst forth from his back in the form of two, large wings.

Yet Takato didn't stir. He never did.

Since he was a baby, Hitomi had worked hard to hide his wings from him. To keep the illusion that he was normal in place. With his father's identity now unveiled, it was only a matter of time until how to find this was also discovered. _Perhaps I should wake him,_she considered, and then thought, _but then he'd try to use them while I'm gone, and it's best he waits._

So she smirked to herself and stood, grabbing the wings and beginning to flex them, to build the muscle and prevent their degeneration. She'd been doing this since he'd first developed them at two months of age, pulling his wings out and stretching them, building the muscle so that they were functional when he was old enough to use them.

But then she met Takehiro and everything changed. She never shared with her husband the truth about her son, about his unique anatomy and extra-terrestrial origins. All of that remained hidden away from him, to protect her son. She trusted Takehiro, loved him above all others, but she could not bring herself to expose her son in such a way.

And Takato never learned about his powers for the same reason. If he'd known he had wings, he would have used them. And considering what happened not so long ago, when the city was held hostage by that infamous D-Reaper blob, she knew she'd been right to keep it from him. Takato was a Draconian, and Draconians were fierce warriors. He would have undoubtedly flown up to help Juri, who was trapped at the epicenter of that monster D-Reaper, and the whole world would have seen what he truly was.

And the world wasn't ready for that.

And neither was her son. She'd told him about the wings. She told him that every Draconian had them, but she didn't tell him how to find them or how to use them. He would know when she came back.

An hour later, she was covered in sweat from training her baby's wings. They were filled with muscle, and always had been. The day Takato wanted to fly, he would have no problem getting off the ground. And Hitomi smiled in knowing this.

Now it was time for a different task. One of equal importance.

So, with a slight sigh, Hitomi released his wings and watched them naturally retract. Hiding away with a mess of feathers on the floor. And, collecting what she could to toss away, Hitomi stepped into the hallway with those plumes.

On the mantle of the small fireplace in the living room, Hitomi found a red candle. She took it and carefully lit it using the matches beside the small mound of wax. Taking a deep breath, she walked outside the house and through the gardens. Her feet barely made a sound. Rummaging through the grasses with only the small candle to lead her.

The night was peaceful, with a slight wind from the south and a full moon above. The stars twinkled ever so slightly, making the space mystical and wondrous. And she wasn't the only one enjoying it.

As she padded down the path towards the beach, the humming of a large creature inched closer and closer. _Guilmon. _Hitomi realized as the spikey ears of the dragon creature became apparent in the glowing image of the sand behind him.

Guilmon was her son's creation, made of a drawing, a wish, and a vision. To Hitomi, he was the first real indication that Takato's latent powers were manifesting. He'd always had strong hunches and was extremely empathetic, but to see his wish come alive filled Hitomi with such shock and worry, she hardly had the words to express her distress. Especially because he'd managed this on Earth and not Gaea.

And his design was truly all Takato. His Draconian tendencies came out in his choice of red for the skin color of the creature, the same color of his eyes. Not to mention that he was a dragon or dinosaur, even Takato wasn't certain half the time. Then there was his wild side, filled with the determination Hitomi once saw in Van. The focus too. This creature was Takato's perfect companion.

And Hitomi was glad to have him. Guilmon made raising Takato both a difficult challenge and unique pleasure. The two could not be separated long and they provided one another useful insight. He liked to help Hitomi out as well in the bakery in exchange for snacks, and was equally distressed when Takehiro had been killed. But rather than seek revenge, the kind hearted monster stood by her son as he wept. Weeping and howling all the same. It was touching and painful to watch.

"Hello Guilmon." Hitomi greeted the creature with a slight grin.

She could see his image stop and sniff the air, never truly trusting his ears, "Hi Takato's mom, how are you?"

She chuckled some and stepped closer, until her little candle reflected in the yellow eyes of the mysterious creature. He gazed at her with the wonder of a small child, despite having much higher intellect. "I'm all right. Just taking a midnight stroll..." She then paused and inquired, "I thought you were going to spend a few days at the caves chasing crabs, what brings you back so soon?"

Guilmon sighed and then smiled, nearly dancing in glee, "Well, chasing the crabs was fun... except the ones that grabbed on my tail." He held up the appendage to show her the several purple bruises forming under the scaled skin, "They tasted especially yummy... but then I felt that Takato was hurting extra special, so I came back to be here when he wakes up."

Hitomi's jaw dropped at the sudden earnesty in the creature, how his large eyes seemed to hold back his own tears at the mention of Takato's pain. Guilmon and Takato were deeply connected, feeling one another's injuries as though receiving them themselves. At one time it was believed that only Takato could feel Guilmon's hurts, but then Guilmon revealed that he could always tell when Takato was sad, no matter how far he was. It seemed the dinosaur could only feel the injuries that were psychological in nature, not the physical pains Takato gained from his bond with him.

And in many ways, this reminded Hitomi even more of Van... Van, who was often injured alongside his Escaflowne. And the Escaflowne that often intruded into Van's mind.

_His father's son, and he's never met him. _Hitomi shrugged. "Well, I'm glad your back... Takato did get a big hurt today, and I think he needs you." Her revelation didn't seem to surprise the large monster. Rather, he nodded and then sniffed the air.

"But you seem to be hurting too." he pointed out, showing once more that he was more than just a creature of instinct, "May I ask why?"

Surprised and jaw dropped, it took Hitomi a moment to recover, "I... well, Takato's dad has been trying to reach us, and so I had to talk to Takato about a lot of hard things."

With wide eyes, Guilmon stepped forward, "But isn't Takato's dad... well?" She sensed the implied question and nodded.

"Takato has two dads Guilmon." She explained carefully, motioning that they walk towards the moonlit beech. "The one that raised him and the one that is responsible for him being alive." Guilmon brought a claw to his chin as he thought about that.

"I didn't know that humans could have two dads..." he pointed out as Hitomi nodded, "Does that mean that one is real and one is fake or... how does that work?"

Hitomi chuckled, realizing how strange this must seem to the creature, "Well, humans can have many different kinds of family members. Not every family is the same, Guilmon,... and that is all right. Both of Takato's fathers are his real fathers, even if Takato has Van's blood in his veins. Takehiro loved him and raised him. That makes him real family."

"Is blood really important?" Guilmon wondered, glancing at his own skin and knowing there was no blood in there. He was comprised purely of proteins and data, "Does that mean I can't be family?"

Again Hitomi chuckled, stopping as her feet crunched into sand. "Not at all. Blood is only important to those who deem it important. Takato never has, nor have I, and Takehiro started calling Takato son long before he proposed to me."

"And what about Takato's other dad?" Guilmon wondered, which nearly stopped Hitomi in her tracks.

It took her a while to come to an answer to that innocent question, "I don't know." She started, "It matters to his people... they want his heir to have his blood, but... the woman he calls sister," Hitomi suddenly remembered with new hope, "she isn't related to him at all, and he loves her... so I guess not." She could see the toothy smile of her son's partner in trouble and heroics.

And she had to smile too.

"I have to talk to Takato's dad now." She told the creature, "It could be a while, so you should probably go back." But Guilmon shook his head.

"I'll be quiet." He told her with the aura of a grown-up, "But I want to see who this man is. I want to know more about Takato's family, so I can be a part of it." And with his simplistic approach to the topic, Hitomi nodded. She could never deny this honest creature his wishes, not when they were so truthful and full of good intentions.

Seating herself in the sand, Guilmon curled up like a cat at her side, Hitomi focused on the rushing waves with her eyes slightly closed. She breathed deeply, looking deep into her heart for the thread of love that connected her to Van. To the thread that once bound his emotions and gave him clarity in the midst of cruelty and war. She smiled to herself, having denied herself the warmth of that honor and feeling. And, gently, she tugged.

And, with equal tenderness, he tugged back.

When she opened her eyes, the proud figure of the man that was once the boy she loved stood before her, his body lined with the green that signified he was a vision. His wings were out, spread over her view of the sky with a pearly glow. And his eyes glowed with the ferocity of his race. But they also showed a great gentleness that only he could afford.

War may have made him a warrior, but his natural state was a pacifist. Like Takato.

"Hello, Hitomi." he called to her, squatting down to be eye level. His smile was broad, spreading across his jaw like a young man, though his features had widened to show he was well beyond those years. His whole body had grown into that of a man, with wide shoulders and a tall frame. He was not one to contend with.

"Hello, Van." She replied, allowing herself to smile, "It's been a while."

He nodded and sat down before her, pulling his angelic wings into his astral body. "It has. You haven't let me contact you in more than a decade." She turned her gaze away from him, studying a dark rock in the moonlight. Her candle's light flickered against it, showing traces of the sea over the stone. "Why is that?"

She sighed, and turned back to him, "I've found a life here Van. I had to let my life on Gaea go."

He now turned his hurt eyes away from her, their gaze falling on Guilmon instead, "Is that a dragon?" He wondered in perplexity. Hitomi only chuckled, grateful that he'd changed the subject so quickly. _Typical Van,_ She remembered.

"My son's friend." She replied kindly, "He's loyal and kind... and somewhat house broken." Guilmon glanced at her a moment, then turned his yellow eyes back towards Van suspiciously. It didn't surprise her that he could see the astral ghost. He was tied to Takato after all.

Van sighed, "You have a son?" He wondered and then grinned, "Congratulations!" His genuine joy for her almost masked a hurt in his eyes. A hurt which told Hitomi one important detail: he had no son.

"Thank you!" She replied, "He's a sweetheart and the light of my life."

"What's his name?" Van asked, almost dreamily, as though he were picturing this boy he'd unknowingly sired.

"Takato." Hitomi replied without hesitation. Guilmon turned to her, sensing her pride, and grinned.

"Takato." Van echoed as he closed his eyes, "It's a good name... not Gaean at all, but it suits a son of yours."

Hitomi chuckled, "It means exalted. He's, well, he's a lot like you... determined, strong, and kind." Van smiled and nodded, clearly grateful for the comparison, "What about your children?" She wanted to know.

Van sat back and smiled, "I have a daughter."

"Goodness!" Hitomi gasped with a wide grin, "That's a tough one to picture! I'll bet she has you wrapped around her little finger." Van chuckled, his eyes turned towards the sand.

"That she does." He admitted with a wide grin and sad eyes, "Her mother says I'm destroying her, that she'll never be a proper lady. I take her hunting and fishing all the time because she begs me to." Hitomi chuckled, imagining Van with a little girl on his lap while they chased game on horseback.

"What's her name?" She wanted to know.

Van chuckled a bit, "Gitta... which also means exalted one." They both had to smirk at that coincidence, "I chose her name myself... Titania wanted to name her Mirabelle or something of the like, but no daughter of mine will have a name that sounds so..."

"Princessy?" Hitomi guessed, to which Van chuckled and nodded.

"Exactly." he replied with a snort, "Though she looks exactly like one; long, lovely black hair, deep red-purple eyes. Her sixth birthday is next week and I fear what ten more years of those will mean." Hitomi smiled, so pleased to hear of Van's happiness.

"She sounds lovely." She replied.

Van nodded, "She is." Then he paused and grinned at her, "Well, tell me more of this boy of yours? How old is he?" Hitomi nearly jumped at the question, and deliberated lying to him a moment.

"Fourteen." She replied, seeing Van's eyes widen in surprised for a second, "And he's a dream come true. He's finally got his grades up, that's our measure for success in school." She informed Van who nodded with a subtle, _I remember,_ "And he's an accomplished artist with a part time job working for a security... thing." Van chuckled a bit as she scratched her head, "I really don't know how to explain what he does, but he's good at it and his boss likes him." That brought Van to laughter as he listened in.

"And what does he look like?" He wondered, sitting back and putting his gloved arms in the sand.

_You._Hitomi wanted desperately to say. She'd forgotten how much she loved this man, and feeling the intensity of that love once more only made her waver a little in her decision. "He looks just like his father." Was all she said. Not lying and yet not telling any true truth either.

"I see." Van replied with a slightly faded grin, "Like his father."

Hitomi sighed and decided to kill the pleasantries. She had a mission, afterall. "My husband just died... and we're all taking it rather hard. Takato especially." Van nodded, more than empathetic to that sort of pain. His own experiences made him especially sensitive to the subject. He placed his astral hand over hers.

"I'm sorry." He told her, "And I'm sorry to have _had_ to reach out to you at this time."

Hitomi nodded, "You've actually reached my son more than me... He's seen your calling card all over the place and he was... well, worried he'd lost it. I had to explain everything to him." Van sighed and shook his head.

"I do apologize." He told her, "But I really had no choice." Sitting forward, Van's eyes shifted from kind to business, making the red harden into a dark brown, "My family is in danger... actually, all of the royal families on Gaea are in danger."

Hitomi swallowed in surprise, "How?"

Van shrugged, "Strange assassins keep popping up all over the place! Ones we cannot seem to destroy... I had to unlock ancient Draconian magic to even compete against them."

Sighing, Hitomi wondered, "And what do you think I can do about that?"

Amazed she hadn't figured it out, Van gawked at her a moment, "Find out where they are coming from so I can make them go away!"

Feeling the argument brew, Hitomi's voice raised, "And why can't you do that? You can dowse too!"

Van sighed, "I've tried! And while I tried, Chid's hand was cut off in Freid. The assailant just barely missed the rest of him, and I was his guest!" Covering her mouth, Hitomi sat back and stared at the ground. This was a predicament, and she knew it. The people she once loved were in pain, and they couldn't save themselves. But could she save them?

Van seemed to sense her uncertainty, "Hitomi, you have to try! I won't let them kill my daughter! They are only targeting royalty and they don't seem to discriminate as to which country they attack or how old their victims are. Please," he took her hands and showed him the fullness of his pain, "I am begging you to at least try! So that we can say we tried everything!"

Gasping, Hitomi replied, "But I'm banished from Gaea." She reminded him. He smirked and shook his head.

"Not anymore." He told her, "We are all desperate for answers." He then paused as she took her trembling hands back and turned to Guilmon, as if the monster knew what the answer would be.

"But my son... he's hurting..." She tried.

"I will watch over him." Guilmon told her as he stood, "You should go... help these people... Takato will be safe with me at his side."

Hitomi turned back to Van, who seemed to be in awe that the 'dragon' had spoken to her so formally. But he soon forgot that surprise, likely attributing it to the craziness of the Mystic Moon, and faced Hitomi once more. "Please Hitomi." he begged, "I'm begging you to save my family."

"I..." She stuttered, still not sure what to do. _God, help me!_

* * *

_**Author's Note: Well, what will Hitomi do? Will she go help Lord Van or will he be forced to come and get her? Haha!**_

_**I was really hesitant to give Van a child of his own, part of me just envisioned the two of them living half lives while they waited to be reunited. But, then I realized how unrealistic that was. Life doesn't stop, and neither do people. And I'm real excited to have an OC to work with in Gitta. She's going to be a lot of fun. Hard to not see Van's daughter as a tomboy. I wonder what her mother is like though...**_

_**Well, please review and give me some feedback! I think it's about time I have more than one review on this story :)**_


End file.
